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Pidgin English started when workers from differnt countries and languages needed to communicate with one another. Certain words from each language were used more often and became understood by everyone. Here is a list of the more common words used in the plantation and what country they came from. Many of the words are still used in our language today. Since Hawaiian is the native language, most of the words used were Hawaiian. The first word list below is Hawaiian. Different ethnic words were used in the same sentence to form Pidgin English.
Hawaiian Ahina (H) - Blue denim dungarees Ha'alele Hana (H) - To desert or break contract Hana Hana (H) - To work, or to go to work Hana Pa'a (H) - To close, secure, fasten. Usually referring to closing off of the water during irrigation Hana Wai (H) - The job of irrigating the fields Haole (H) - Foreigner, usually a caucasian Hapa (H) - Half. Person of mixed ancestry Hapai (H) - To carry, lift, elevate Hapai Ko (H) - Field work requirring the carrying of the harvested sugar cane (ko) into the cane car Hemo (H) - To remove Hole Hole (H) - The job of stripping the cane stalk of it's leaves Holo Holo (H) - To go out for pleasure Huki (H) - To pull Kanaka (H) - Hawaiian Kapakahi (H) - Crooked or lopsided Kapu (H) - Forbidden or reserved Kau Kau (H) - To eat. From the Hawaiian pronunciation of the Chinese word "chow chow" Kokua (H) - To help, assitst, support Kuku (H) - Thorns Kukui Hele Po (H) - Kerosene lantern. Literlly, "the light to go at night Luna (H) - Boss, supervisor, oversees Molowa (H) - Lazy Opae (H) - Small fresh or dried fish Opala (H) - Rubbish, trash Pake (H) - Chinese. Perhaps deriving from "Cathay" Palaka (H) - Heavy block print cloth Pau Hana (H) - End of working day, "Pau hana time." Finish working. Pilau (H) - Dirty, filthy Pilikia (H) - Trouble Poho (H) - Wasted, waste of time, no good Pulapula (H) - Seedlings, cuttings of sugar cane Sabe (H) - Understand savvy. From the Spanish
Bango (J) - Identification badge assigned to a plantation worker. refers to the number on the badge. From the Japanese word for "number" Bento (J) - Lunch or lunch box Furo (J) - Bath and/ or bath tub Mochi (J) - Rice cake usually made as a symbol of good luck on New Year's Day Tabi (J) - Sock-like protective foot covering Tanomoshi (J) - A multual financing arrangement among relatives and friends. Tofu (J) - Bean curd made into square blocks for food Tsukemono (J) - Pickeled vegetables
Calaboose (F) - Jail Kampo (F) - Camp or village Karabaw (F) - Water buffalo. Also spelled "Carabao" Kompang (F) - To cooperate, to share, to do together Sabidong (F) - Poison
Bakalao (Port) - Dried Codfish
Bumbai (P) - Sometimes "bimeby" meaning "later on." From the English phrase, "by- by" Hoe Hana (P) - Field work using the hoe, usually to cut weeds Kau Kau Tin (P) - Multi-layered lunch can Dis and Dat (P)- this and that. "Dis one ovahea". This is the one over here. |
